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One particular ice cream franchise, Mister Softee, didn’t just hand out confectionary and ice cream from their vans. They also issued many series of trading cards, especially on rock stars and pop stars of the 1960s and 1970s
The card set pictured above is called “Lord Neilson’s Star Cards” and consists of 12 cards. I believe that the music newspaper “Record Mirror” helped contribute to the descriptions on the backs of the cards, and perhaps the pictures too.
The Kinks are featured on one of the cards. Although perhaps not the most commercially successful of bands from the British Invasion era, they were incredibly important and influential. Dave Davies was the first musician to popularize the power chord in the band’s first commercially successful single, “You Really Got Me”. This played a crucial role in the early development of the hard rock and punk rock genres. Dave Davies achieved his distorted guitar riff with a cone, but not an ice cream cone, by modifying the speaker cone on his Elpico amplifier. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes Ray Davies, his brother, as “Rock’s most literate, witty and insightful songwriter”.
This set also includes the Beach Boys, rising to fame with their tight harmonies and Brian Wilson’s knack for creating timeless hit singles. They even rivalled the Beatles at one point.
One important thing to note, is that this is the only Mister Softee card set I know of to feature an all black group, The Supremes. The choice of words in the description on the back isn’t very politically correct.
Alan Price, the organ playing wizard that gave The Animals its distinctive sound makes an appearance on card no. 12 along with the singer Chris Farlowe, who didn’t achieve the success he deserved.
This set also includes music legends such as Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, The Rolling Stones, Lulu, Manfred Mann, Georgie Fame, The Walker Brothers and a pop group with a name combining the nicknames of all the band members: Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick and Tich.
Mister Softee, Lord Neilson’s Star Cards (12 Cards), 1967
Includes:The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Tom Jones, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, Julie Felix and Georgie Fame, Lulu, The Rolling Stones, The Walker Brothers, Alan Price and Chris Farlowe; Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
If you would like to find out more about the classic cards featured in this blog please click here.
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